Goodby to an era: Selling the Corvair Spyder Convertible

After we completed the STP Vicky and I spent several days spiffing up the Corvair.  Then sold it on eBay to a man who lives in Maryland.  He said he used to have a red 1963 convertible Corvair with a white top, and wanted to see if they were still as much fun to drive.  I can answer that for him--yes.  Especially this one because it is an excellent driver.

I am sad to see it go.  I've had it for 25 years.  Emily and I drove out to western Kansas to retrieve it.   I remember that trip so well.  She was just a little girl.  She and Jules spent a lot of time in the back seat of that car when we took trips to Delgado's Mexican restaurant and then to Carl's Ice Cream.  I had seat belts installed in the back seat just for them.

But it was a hobby, not a life, and hobbies can change.  I hadn't driven it much while in Washington, although I had thought I might.  Now that we have the camper, and will be gone several months of the year, the chances of it getting much use were even lower.

The transport company that retrieved it typically carries very expensive vehicles.  The driver said that earlier this week he had carried the car that Hitler gave as a gift to Stalin.  It had sold for over 10 million.  On the transport today with my Corvair are two original Shelby Fords, an XKE, and a Porche racing car, among others.  He said the value of the cars on his transport were about two million.  I corrected him that the value was two million plus my Corvair's 8 thousand.

My poor little Corvair among all of those expensive and rare cars.  But that's the Corvair--a car for people with senses of humor.  Not a big powerful Corvette, but given a name that sort of was like Corvette even though the air-cooled engine was in the rear, and at best could generate a paltry 100 horsepower.

Still, mine was snazzy and ran really well.  It should because it doesn't have a lot of moving parts.

Cleaning up and selling the Corvair was one among many of our summer projects to clear things from our lives that we no longer use.  We sold my two recumbent bicycles, plus a lot of antiques and collectibles.  And of course we sold our Chinook camper.

We are getting ready to go for the fall and winter.  We have big trips planned.  Eliminating unused things from our lives is part of that preparation.

But the garage seems so empty.  For 25 years this car occupied a place in our garage, and trite as I am sure it sounds, in my heart.

 

Goodby........ and thanks.